HSLDA’s Will Estrada Endorses Ted Cruz

In a public Facebook status today, HSLDA Director of Federal Relations Will Estrada declared his endorsement of Senator Ted Cruz for President.

“I am proud to endorse Ted Cruz for President,” Estrada says, “and to be named one of the national co-chairs of the ‘Homeschoolers for Cruz’ coalition.” The coalition, announced today on Cruz’s website, boasts “an astounding 6,670 members.” You can watch Cruz’s video announcement of the coalition below:

According to Cruz’s website, “The group represents homeschool communities across the country who are dissatisfied with their local school districts, the recent implementation of Common Core, or just wish to be more involved in their children’s upbringing.” The coalition is co-chaired by Estrada, Quiverfull advocate Marlin Bontrager, and former Mike Huckabee campaigner Vicki Crawford. Last year Crawford arranged to have Cruz speak at the Network of Iowa Christian Home Educators’ (NICHE) Homeschool Day at the Capitol on March 18, saying, “He’s the perfect match for us [homeschoolers].”

Marlin Bontrager, co-chair of the “Homeschoolers for Cruz” Coalition with Will Estrada, poses with his two daughters next to Doug Phillips and his daughters at a Vision Forum event. Photo via the Bontrager Family Singers website.

I doubt Cruz cares what they do so long as he gets endorsed. Cruz is a maneuverer, who took on the GOP establishment in Washington primarily for his own glorification in the eyes of the GOP’s social conservative faction in anticipation for the presidential race. Alas for for his base, however, he would become yet another neocon/RINO puppet if elected. Trump, of course, would not; but he’s insufficiently socially conservative, so people like the HLSDA are between a rock and a hard place.

I don’t care if HSLDA is between a rock and a hard place. I dislike the organization. I dislike Huckabee & Santorum. I’m not conservative, nor do I want a theocracy. Donald Trump is a deceiver. I’m an independent, mostly moderate, and this GOP horse race has me going nuts.

It appears that some failed Critical Thinking 101, at least the section on the “Guilt by association” fallacy.
Just because someone endorses someone – the one endorsed is not (in the absence of any other evidence) guilty of sharing their wrong beliefs.
I’ve been a supporter of Cruz since the GOP primary for US Senate in TX but I reject quiverfull and patriarchy.
Also, it’s absurd for anyone who cares about freedom of faith, freedom of speech, national security, integrity in government, competence in government, affordable healthcare, etc. to ever threaten to vote for Hillary Clinton.
Not only can nothing positive be listed of significance that she’s ever accomplished – the list of her failures & wrong-headedness is nearly endless.
Our current president was endorsed by anti-Christians, anti-Semites, criminals, domestic terrorists, separatist racists, and more – is he guilty of all of those things?
The same will endorse Hillary – will she also be guilty of them – by association?
Rumor has it that Donald Trump was endorsed by David Duke – does that make Trump guilty of Duke’s views?
Can we please slow down and think?

You’re reading your own “guilt by association” interpretation into the text. I simply described the connections; I never interpreted them.

That said, Cruz did select Marlin Bontrager and Will Estrada to co-chair the coalition. Normally when someone appoints someone else to a position of leadership and influence, it’s a reasonable interpretation that the appointer is to some extent endorsing the appointee. So I wouldn’t be surprised if many interpret Cruz’s appointments to reflect agreement or reciprocity with Bontrager and Estrada to some extent. But to what extent is certainly open to interpretation and debate.

The same Cruz whose reaction to the Syrian refugee crisis was “Only admit the CHRISTIANS”?

(Begging the question of how he defines “Christian”. Most Middle Eastern Christians wouldn’t pass the American Evangelical Litmus Test, never mind the Truly Reformed or Homeschooler litmus tests. Remember those 21 Coptic martyrs?)